Love Is Blind’s Lauren Speed-Hamilton Mourns Her Father After His Death on Christmas Day: ‘My Backbone, and My First Love’

Lauren Speed-Hamilton is mourning the loss of her father, Bill Speed.

On Saturday, Dec. 28, the reality star who appeared in the inaugural season of Love Is Blind, announced in a touching tribute shared to Instagram that Bill had died on Christmas Day.

She penned a heartbreaking statement alongside a carousel of images that included baby photos, smiling selfies of the father-daughter duo and the Speed family patriarch posing with her husband, Cameron Hamilton. “It’s so difficult to even make this post,” she began in the post’s caption.

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A post shared by Lauren Speed-Hamilton (@need4lspeed)

“On December 25th, I lost my father, my backbone, and my first love. For those who’ve followed me or met me through Love Is Blind, you’ve seen firsthand how much I loved my Dad + he loved me.”

Lauren added that her father had always been her “biggest cheerleader/protector” and despite his passing, she’ll “forever be a Daddy’s girl.”

“Words can’t fully capture the depth of my heartbreak or how much he meant to me,” she said of her grief. “His laughter and larger than life presence filled EVERY room he entered, and I will carry his love in my heart forever. Please keep my family in your thoughts as we navigate this heartbreaking loss.”

She concluded her tribute by addressing her late father, “I LOVE YOU Daddy 🤍🙏🏾 Thank you for everything. I promise to keep killin’ em as you would say and make you proud.”

Lauren and Cameron have been fan favorites since they met and tied the knot on season 1 of the hit Netflix dating show. Her father also appeared on season 1 of the Netflix dating show, even walking her down the aisle during her televised wedding.

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Nearly a year and a half later in March 2020, Lauren told PEOPLE that her father was “over the moon” about their relationship and the couple’s newfound stardom.

“He tells everybody, so he’s very excited. We saw something somewhere and they called him ‘the old man.’ He was like, ‘Who are they calling old?'” she recalled. “But he’s just happy that our love is being portrayed in such a wonderful light, and that the world can finally see how happy we are.”